Kingdom Hearts: Destati

[Davy Jones]

Thanks for the updates, Herr Merlin!

As to the whole 'Herr' thing, it just means 'mister' in German. And you aren't the only one...

Just ask R0ad H0g, who is now known as Herr H0g...

[Merlin326]

i never knew that, Jones. the only german i know is Yabold(sp?) and donkushan (sp?)

in other news: i have finished ch 1 early, and am posting it now...
***

Chapter 1
The next Journey

“Twilight Town,” Riku breathed.

“Yes,” Xando replied, “I brought you here for a few reasons. First of all, I think you may want to acquire some new clothes and armor. You’re going to need it if you’re going to get Sora back. Secondly, we’re going to meet someone. Yen Sid. He will hopefully be able to give us some helpful information concerning recent Heartless activities.”

“And then what?” Kairi asked.

Xando smiled. “The hunt begins…”
And then the three journeyed to the market center. Xando switched from his conspicuous looking regal garments to black pants, a black tunic, black gloves, and a black cloak. Riku simply bought blindfold, some white gloves, a grey cloak, and a vest. Kairi switched from her pink dress to a pink shirt, white shorts, and a redish pink cloak.

Once they were finished shopping, they traveled via magical train to Yen Sid’s tower. Along the way, Riku and Kairi tried to pry some information from Xando.

“So how do you know us?” Riku said, “We’ve never met before.”
“I have told you,” Xando replied, “my past is a tragic tale, not meant for retelling.”
“If you want us to trust you, to travel with you, you need to be honest with us,” Kairi said, “otherwise we’ll leave you here and find Sora ourselves.

Xando merely laughed, “An empty threat at best, Kairi. You need me, plain and simple. Only I know just what will happen if Xehanort gets what he wants. Only I know how history will play if I don’t interfere.”

“Prove it,” Kairi said, “or we’ll see just how powerful you really are!”

“If it will get you to be quiet, very well. I will tell you a little of my past. But I will also keep some bits to myself, for reasons I just may state later if you’re lucky. Anyway, truth is, I’m from the future.”

“You’re what?” Kairi yelled.

“From the future. That’s how I know you all. That’s how I know just what Xehanort is planning, and what will happen if he gets away with it.”

“Are you saying … Xehanort wins?” Riku asked.

“In my timeline, he did, yes. He defeated the Keyblade Wielders and absorbed Kingdom Heart’s power. Empty of energy, Kingdom Hearts was destroyed, and with them all the Keyblades. Without your weapons, you stood little chance against Xehanort as he took the many worlds and merged them into one dark empire for him to rule.”

“And you’re his son,” Riku said suspiciously.

“If I was working for him, I wouldn’t have saved you,” Xando pointed out.

“Maybe you want to make a few changes for yourself?”

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you anything! It’s only because of her I’m even here!”

“Who is her?” Riku asked; Xando was on the verge of tears.

Despite further inquiry, Xando did not speak another word until they got to the tower. By the time they made it to the sorcerer’s loft, Xando had regained his composure.

“Ah, Xando,” Yen Sid said as he noticed the three enter the room, “may I assume your trip was successful then?”

“Almost,” Xando replied in his normal, emotionless voice, “Sora was left behind.”
“And you are seeking to find him?” Yen Sid asked Kairi and Riku. Both nodded.
“It is only natural, of course. However, be forewarned. By now, Sora is being kept safe in Xehanort’s personal base. It will be difficult to rescue him, even if we did know where he is.”

“But we have to try!” Kairi said.

“And indeed we will,” Yen Sid said, “I would suggest you go to Radiant Garden and speak with King Mickey and Ansem the Wise. They may be of help, and are more aware of the currant situation than I. Xando, I trust you will accompany them?”

Xando said nothing, simply nodded and stormed outside. He still had not gotten over the conversation on the train.

“Do not let his actions fool you,” Yen Sid said, “he has gone through much trauma recently, which accounts for his behavior. But he is truly good of heart, if you can manage to break through the many icy layers he has put around it.”

“I’m still not sure I trust him,” Riku said, “He’s not speaking about himself.”
“It is only natural for him to be silent. He has gone through as much pain, if not more, than you have these past few days.”

“Then can you tell us about him?” Kairi asked.

“It is not my story to tell,” Yen Sid said, “you will have to wait for him to be ready to speak. Also, when you get to Radiant Garden, tell King Mickey I will be arriving soon to discus certain matters with him.”

And with that, Kairi and Riku left on their journey.
--------
Walking downstairs, Xando was still fuming.

“Why can’t I forget? Why can’t I forget her? The pain is simply too great…”

He walked out the front door and boarded the train. He would wait there for them.

“Kairi… she reminds me too much like her. That must be why I opened up part of my past, because of
those eyes. She has her eyes all right. But I cannot allow myself to remember. I cannot let the pain surface again.”

He noticed Kairi and Riku leaving the castle, and hid his face beneath his hood, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“Well?” he asked when they entered.
“We’re going to Radiant Garden,” Riku said, “getting some info from King Mickey and Ansem the Wise.”
“Humph, I guess I’ll keep traveling with you then. Just a warning, I may leave at any time. So don’t count on me.”

Kairi rolled her eyes, “I can’t wait.”
--------------
Meanwhile, a pair of dark figures emerged in a forest outside of Twilight Town from the old mansion. One wore a black robe. The other was bulky.

“Well, we finally outta there, huh?” said the bulky one.
“Yes, so we are,” said the horned one.

“we been wandering around Nothing for maybe 2 weeks now,” the first said, “and finally we get back to civilization.”

“Indeed we have,” the second agreed.

“So, uh, what we do now?”

“That is simple. We continue with the plan. We need to find all of those fools and bring them together again. I’m sure they will listen to what I have to say.”

“Whatta bout that there kid?”
“We will deal with him when the time is right, my dear friend. For now, let us see what this town holds. Perhaps we may find something or someone of value.”

And so the two figures began walking out of the forest and into Twilight Town.

[Roxi-chan]

Wooooooooow!~
This. Is. SOOOOO. Interesting!
Keep up the good work!

[R0ad H0g]

Who can the pair of dark figures be? Awesome chapter.

[Merlin326]

actually, i origionally had more descriptive words for the two figures, but i decided it would be two obvious then. they will be revealed in Ch2

with all due respect,
Merlin326

[Haku]

Wonderful update, hope there are many more just as good.

[Davy Jones]

Nicely done. I am infatuated with your righting style. It's very nice... very nice indeed.

Three cheers for Herr Merlin!!!

HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH!

[Merlin326]

thank you for your appreciation, Jones. well, a four day weekend has begun for me, so i should be getting new chapters up everyday (excluding today) up until Monday night.

the first of my fragmented tales (rightly called Fragmented Tale the 1st) will be up sometime tomorrow (not before 12 noon though, i sleep in until 11). here is a schedule for the weekend.

Friday : Fragmented Tale the 1st (complete)
Saturday: Chapter 2 (complete)
Sunday: Chapter 3 (complete)
Monday: Fragmented Tale the 2nd (complete)

after that, i will settle down into my standard rutein (sp?): 2 chapters every week.

with all due respect,
Merlin326

[Merlin326]

this tale answers the question of just how did Yen Sid know of Xando. it also delves into his character a little more...
*********

Fragmented Tale the 1st
Right after Part I epilogue
A world without you …

Xando felt like he had been falling forever. As soon as he entered the time vortex, he had suddenly begun falling down what appeared to be an endless shaft of darkness. However, this had given him to reflect.

“It has only been a few hours,” he said to himself, “but it feels like an eternity. Like another life. Colette, I hope you can forgive me. I wasn’t strong enough to protect you… I thought I was, but I failed. I cannot even imagine a world without you and your smile.”

In that time, he made a decision. He was not fit to have friends. He simply wasn’t strong enough to protect them, and when he lost them, the pain would tear him apart. So he would do without friends. He would do without emotions. He would do only with himself, and his revenge.

“Everything I gain, I lose. Therefore, I will survive without the luxury of friends. I will do without them. And I will destroy Xehanort.”

By the time the light at the end of the tunnel came into sight, Xando had made up his mind. He had buried his guilt deep down, replacing it with a fiery anger aimed at the one responsible for her death, Xehanort.
--------------------
Yen Sid looked up from his book in time to see a vortex open up in his room. In all his years of studying, he of course knew what it was, but he ever dared hope he would witness the opening of a time vortex. Out of it came a young, black haired youth, clad in regal garments that made him appear to be a prince of some sort. Behind him, the time vortex closed.

“Good evening,” Yen Sid announced as his unexpected guest rose to his feet, “I am Yen Sid, sorcerer and master of this tower. Who might you be?”

Xando quickly studied the old man. While indeed appearing old, he wore the robes of a powerful sorcerer, and he seemed to give off an aura of power. He also recognized him from some old books he had read once.

“My name is Xando, the Prince of Shadows,” he introduced, bowing slightly, “I come to undo the dark future that was my home.”

Yen Sid put the book away and conjured up a chair for his guest, “sit down then, Xando, and tell me your story…”

They spoke for several hours as Xando told him his story, leaving no detail out (much to his displeasure once he reached the events that, to him, were merely a day or so ago). Yen Sid did not interrupt, merely stopping occasionally to ask a question. When Xando had finished, Yen Sid studied the youth for a moment, looking deep into his eyes and his heart. They were the eyes of someone who had witnessed death several times. They were the eyes of someone who would fight for what he knew was right, and “damn the odds against me”. They were not the eyes of a liar.

“It appears you have led a hard life,” Yen Sid commented, “I am deeply sorry for your loss.”
“Forget about it,” Xando said emotionlessly, “just tell me, where are Sora, Riku, and Kairi at the moment?”
“They would be on their islands, the Destiny Islands. They returned there after disposing of Organization XIII two weeks ago.”

Suddenly, Yen Sid had a strange feeling, as if all was not as it seemed on the islands. His sixth sense had never been wrong before…

“Go to the islands!” Yen Sid shouted, “Sora and his friends are in danger!”
Xando did not need more invitation. He himself could feel it, a dark and dangerous power growing, heading for the Keyblade Master’s location. He quickly conjured up a rip in space itself, a Gate, and traveled through…

“Good luck, Xando,” Yen Sid whispered once the Gate closed, “I fear you may need all the luck you can get just to survive the adventure that is to come…”


*********
as you may have noticed (i forget whether i said this already), Fragmented Tales will be shorter than the main chapters. the first few are going to focus on Xando, but they will also focus on other characters as time goes by.

with all due respect,
Merlin326

[nojerom_14]

beautifullly put, Merlin, i await more =]

[Davy Jones]

Good tie in. I was wondering how Yen Sid knew so much about Xando...

[Merlin326]

The tragic story of Xando is something i am having a lot of fun with. and before this tale is over, we will connect him with so many characters. he is, perhaps, the deffinition of a tragic hero (or is it just me?), and his story is greatly influenced by the theme music i gave him. now for the big news, a new chapter.
**********************

Chapter 2
Dusk

As they exited the train in Twilight Town, they chanced upon an encounter with Hayner, Pence, and Olette, three kids who had helped Sora during the whole Organization XIII affair.

“Kairi, is that you?” Olette asked, noticing a red-haired girl walking with a silver haired boy and a raven-haired youth as she and Hayner and Pence were on their way to the shopping mall.
Kairi quickly took notice of Olette and ran over to greet her friends. Riku followed, having some indirect experience with them through Ansem the Wise’s digital Twilight Town. Xando, antisocial as he was, stayed at a distance.

“What are you doing here?” Hayner asked. Last he had seen of either her or Sora, she had been kidnapped by a red haired man and Sora had gone into a computer to chase after her.

“It’s a long story,” Kairi answered.

Riku then stepped up to introduce himself, “I’m Riku, a friend of Kairi and Sora.”
“Name’s Hayner.”
“I’m Pence.”
“My name’s Olette.”

“So, uh… who’s that guy?” Pence asked, gesturing to Xando.

“His name’s Xando,” Riku answered, and then hesitantly added, “He’s… a friend.”
----

Meanwhile, two figure’s entered town from the forest. One was tall, horned, and wore a black robe. The other was short, bulky, and a coward.

“Well, well, well,” said the taller, “if it isn’t Twilight Town.”

“Isn’t dat da place connected to where ol’ Yen Sid lives?” the shorter one asked.

“Why yes it is,” answered the first, “perhaps we should give this world a little… excitement.”
The taller woman smiled evilly, and then called an army of black beings of darkness. These creatures lacked hearts, so they had been rightly named the Heartless.

“Twilight Town’s gonna soon lose its little light,” the short one said. Then the two beings made their way into the center of town.
---------------------

Kairi, Xando and Riku went back with Hayner and the others to their usual spot, an ally converted to a hideout for the three of them. They had been chatting their for about 10 minutes when Riku suddenly felt a familiar presence. Xando had also felt something; a powerful darkness was entering the town. He casually looked out the window and saw the sky darken until it seemed like midnight. The change did not go unnoticed, however.

“Is it just me, or is it getting dark all of a sudden?” Pence asked. Everyone looked out and saw a wave of black something in the tram center, with spots of yellow all over.

“Heartless,” Xando commented, unsheathing his sword, “Hayner, you know how to fight, correct?”
“Yeah?” he answered hesitantly. He often competed in the summer event called the Struggle, but that was with soft clubs; Xando pulled out a real live sword and handed it to Hayner.

“You’re going to need it.”
-----------

They ran down to the sandlot, Xando and Riku bringing the lead and Hayner and his friends in the rear. Heartless were everywhere, and the few fighters the town possessed were ill prepared or equipped to handle the strange beings. Among them were Seifer, Fuu and Rai.

“You going to stand there or help?” Seifer asked coldly. He then had to swallow his words as the black haired boy leading the reinforcements cut down at least 10 Heartless in about three seconds. Xando then created several ghost swords and proceeded to decimate tenfold more Heartless. If the moment had allowed for it, Seifer would have dropped his mouth open then and there. However, there were still about a million more to go.
----------------
From a nearby rooftop, the two figures watched the battle progress. They were winning hands down, but then that black haired youth had appeared. However, not all was lost. The taller woman recognized two of the new fighters immediately.

“Well, if it isn’t Riku and the little princess Kairi,” she said, “Look’s like the fun is just starting, my friend.”

“What we gonna do now?” the second one asked. He was not looking forward to getting involved; raven-hair was cutting down their forces like paper.

“We introduce ourselves,” she said, smiling evilly.
------------
Suddenly, Riku recognized the scent he had sensed earlier. Looking up, he realized with horror he was right. Watching the battle were two figures. One was the cat from Disney Castle named Pete. The other was his ‘mistress’, Maleficent.

“You’ve done well, Riku,” she boomed, “defeating Xemnas and that foolish Organization XIII. And even finding a new friend since we last met.”

Xando stopped to glance at the source of the voice. Seeing the two villains, he then sneaked away from the battle.

“However, it is foolhardy to challenge us here! Twilight Town is lost, and you know this.”
Riku had to admit, it seemed hopeless. Most of the fighters for Twilight Town were dead or otherwise unable to fight. Only he, Kairi, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Seifer, Fuu, Rai, and Xando (though he was out of sight at the moment) were still alive by this time.

“Surrender to us, and we will simply imprison you. Continue to fight, and your hearts will drown in darkness!”

Suddenly, Xando jumped onto the rooftop, “I think I will pick the third choice: beating you up!”
Maleficent turned and, after recovering from the shock, fired a bolt of darkness, but Xando merely spun his ghost swords around in a circle in front of him until it created a sort of shield; the bolt bounced off harmlessly.

“Not going to be that easy, Maleficent,” he said as his sword stopped spinning. He then created a Gate far below, right next to Riku.

“Get the survivors out of here!” he shouted, “I’ll be right behind you!”
Riku hesitated but followed the order, getting as many people out as possible before leaving himself. The other side of the Gate led them to Radiant Garden, right into Merlin’s home. As they entered, the Gate closed behind them.

“Gadzooks, my boy,” Merlin yelled, falling backwards in his chair, “don’t scare an old man like that. By the way, eh… who are you?”

Riku quickly brought Merlin up to speed about what had happened moments ago.
“Yes, Yen Sid did mention something about a Xando,” he commented when Riku had finished speaking, “but where is he?”

Riku turned, but Xando had not yet appeared. While Merlin organized homes for the few surviving members of Twilight Town, they waited. While Merlin prepared cups of tea for them, Riku and Kairi waited. They fell asleep waiting for him, but he never showed up.
*****************
a note about Merlin: i will be writing him the way i imagined him from the movie Sword in the Stone, put simply, accident prone (especially with his beard). and once chapter 3 is up, we shall take a look at what Xando was up to in Twilight Town.

with all due respect,
Merlin326

[nojerom_14]

whoa. Merlin, dude it's awesome especially old Merlin. he's great too, lol, keeping going with it dude.

[Merlin326]

Chapter 3
Battle Plans & Black Past

When they woke up next morning, Xando was already sitting at the table, eating some cereal.

“Merlin’s out,” Xando said, “he’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Where have you been?!” Riku yelled, “You said you would be right behind us!”

Xando simply smiled, “things got… complicated. I was on the run for most of the night; I just got here maybe an hour ago.”

“What happened?” Kairi asked.

Xando continued to smile, “nothing worth saying. However," and he suddenly grew serious, “Twilight Town is lost. The world was consumed by the darkness.”

No one said something for the longest time. It suddenly dawned on Riku and Kairi just how lost they were without Sora.

“What do we do now?” Kairi asked eventually.

“If you want to save Sora, you’re going to need to find Xehanort’s base of operations. And you want to bet that’s going to be somewhere in the realm of darkness? Point is first thing you need to do is find Xehanort.”

“You sound like you’re not coming,” Riku said, “why is that, I wonder?”

“Because I’m not. I will aid you as I can, but I have another… matter I must deal with. Besides, finding Sora is your job. You are his friends.”

“So you’re leaving us to go on our own?”

Xando nodded, “tomorrow I will depart. In the meantime, King Mickey’s over at the castle with Ansem the Wise. We are to go over and plan a battle strategy against Xehanort. We leave when you are ready”

And after a quick breakfast, Kairi and Riku walked with Xando to the castle where Ansem the Wise lived. They had to go through town, down the old bailey, and up a small path between two cliffs to get there, but they quickly arrived at the castle of Radiant Garden. Xando dramatically opened the doors to Ansem’s study, Kairi and Riku following close behind. King Mickey, Ansem, and Leon were already there.

“I see you made it,” Ansem said, “we were worried when we heard about the islands vanishing. Where is Sora?”

Xando quickly brought everyone up to date on recent events, Ansem’s face quickly turned into a deep scowl.

“Xehanort, the fool. Once again, he seeks Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds, and attempts to conquer everything that exists.”

“So, Sora’s held captive somewhere, is he?” Mickey asked.

“Yeah,” Riku answered, “Xando thinks Xehanort’s base is somewhere in the dark realm.”

“That would fit,” Leon said, “Xehanort seems to think that the pathway to Kingdom Hearts lies in the dark realm. It would only be natural for him to set up shop somewhere there.”

“Yen Sid said you had some information about Xehanort’s recent movements,” Kairi said, “Just what are they exactly?”

“I think it is best we compare notes. When my machine exploded at Organization XIII’s stronghold 2 weeks ago, the power sent me into the digital Twilight Town I had created. From there, I managed to make my way back into the real world. It was in the forest, just out of town, that I saw Xehanort…”
-------
Two weeks ago…

A dark soldier walked through the forest of Twilight Town. Everything had gone as his master anticipated. Xemnas had been beaten moments ago, and with that, there was no trace of Xehanort any more. Or so the fools of light thought. However, Master Xehanort had anticipated his defeat some 10 years ago, and had anticipated everything that had happened since then. He would be reborn as a younger version of himself, be taken in by the lord of Radiant Garden, Ansem the Wise, and be tutored under him.

Eventually, Xehanort would reawaken the darkness hidden in his heart and begin performing experiments on the darkness. He would eventually cast his body away and become a Heartless himself. The Nobody that would form, Xemnas, would lead the Nobodies in a group called Organization XIII. A special Keyblade Master would eventually defeat both Xemnas and Xehanort’s Heartless.

But now was the most crucial step of all. The most risky part of his master’s backup plan. He, Valzog, would have to perform a ceremony, before Xemnas faded to far into nothingness. If performed successfully, Master Xehanort would return, fully and completely, and even more powerful than before. Not his Nobody, not his Heartless, not his weak younger self, but his older, more powerful version. The one that deserved to rule over Kingdom Hearts.

Valzog quickly drew the Heartless emblem on the ground, and then traced the emblem of the Nobodies over it. He then added a crown above the heart shaped symbol, and drew a circle around it. He then began to chant strange words in an ancient language of magic.

Little did he know that he was being watched. Ansem the Wise, who had appeared from the old mansion farther back in the forest, was watching him carefully with great intellectual curiosity. Being careful not to be seen, Ansem watched the stranger perform the ancient spell.

When Valzog finished the words, the circle in front of him began to glow. In a matter of moments, a black fog seemed to rise from the circle; a column of smoke rose far beyond Valzog’s head. The sky instantly darkened, and thunder boomed overhead. Inside the black fog, a silhouette could just barely be made out. When the fog cleared, an old man was seen. He was bald, but had a purplish white colored goatee sprouting from his chin. His back was slumped over slightly, due to bending over a lot; his hands were folded behind his back. However, the one thing that was most striking were the eyes: yellow in color, merciless in content. There was no pity in those eyes, no emotion of any kind.

The dark soldier bowed to one knee, “I have come for you, my liege. My lord and ruler, Master Xehanort.”

“Rise Valzog, my Dark Soldier,” the old man said; his voice sounded like nails screeching on a chalkboard.

Hidden safely behind a tree, Ansem nearly gasped. Xehanort, his foolish apprentice, had returned. But somehow, he seemed to have taken on the appearance of an old man.

“What is your bidding, Master Xehanort?” Valzog asked, rising to his feet.

“First of all, we must find a base of operations,” Xehanort answered.

“I have already established one,” Valzog commented, “I think it may please you well, Master.”

“Very good, my apprentice,” Master Xehanort replied, “very well, then we shall gather an army of Heartless together. We shall make them even stronger than the normal breed. Once we have an army of such Heartless, we shall begin our conquest of the universe, starting with Destiny Islands…”
-----

“And you know what happened next,” Ansem finished, “once Xehanort and his apprentice vanished, I made my way to Disney Castle and contacted King Mickey. He sent a letter and had Donald and Goofy go after you, but apparently, we were too late. By the time they got there, there was nothing left of the islands.”

The next several hours were spent thinking up possible battle plans in case of an invasion. Leon had gathered a small army, SeeD, but it was filled mostly with new recruits who had little idea how to hold a sword proper. Mickey had a more reasonably sized force, but Disney Castle was a peaceful world, so it was nothing to scream about either. Eventually, they decided they could not make any plans without more information or more troops.

The meeting was disbanded with the intention of meeting again when once more information was uncovered. Tired and hungry, Kairi, Riku and Xando went back to Merlin’s house for a good supper and then hit the sack. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

[Davy Jones]

Great chapter, Merlin. I can't wait to read more of this intriguing story!!!